Apple iOS 7 fix for random iPhone reboots in pipeline

Apple is readying a firmware update for iOS 7 which the company says will address unexpected reboots that users of the iPhone have reported in considerable numbers since the latest smartphone OS version was released. The glitch, colloquially known as the “white/black screen of death”, affects iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5 users, among others, with the smartphone suddenly freezing and then performing a soft-reboot.

The exact cause of the problem is unclear, though some have suggested that the reboots are more common when the battery level falls below 30-percent. That’s not consistently the case, however, and the reboots can occur when apps are being loaded or switched between.

“We have a fix in an upcoming software update” an Apple spokesperson told Mashable, “for a bug that can occasionally cause a home screen crash.”

The problem manifests in different ways depending on the color of the iPhone. Those with a light colored handset usually see a black Apple logo on a white background, while on a dark handset that’s reversed.

Waiting for Apple to address the problem is not something every iPhone owner is willing to do, and the company’s support forum is full of users either experiencing the issue or with a potential way to patch it. Although most affected find their phone restarts with no issues, some have had to connect an external power source in order to reboot.

The official fix is expected to be part of iOS 7.1, the next significant update, and currently in the fourth round of testing with developers. When it’ll be released publicly is unknown at this stage.